NEW HAVEN (Interstat) — Dartmouth will visit Yale on Saturday for an NCAA Football Championship Division game at Yale Bowl in New Haven, Conn., with the Big Green looking to build on a narrow win and the Bulldogs aiming to protect their home field.

Dartmouth enters at 1-2. The Big Green defeated Penn 14-10 in their most recent game, leaning on quarterback Grayson Saunier and a productive ground attack. Saunier completed 13 of 15 passes for 173 yards, ran 10 times for 33 yards and scored one touchdown. Myles Craddock added 21 carries for 85 yards and caught one pass for 10 yards and one score. Chris Roper contributed three carries for 20 yards and one reception for 13 yards.

Saunier has been central to Dartmouth’s offense throughout the early season. In a 31-28 loss to Monmouth, he completed 11 of 27 passes for 148 yards, ran 11 times for 66 yards, threw two touchdown passes and scored once on the ground. In a 24-20 loss at Lehigh, he completed 17 of 30 passes for 262 yards and one touchdown while adding eight carries for 21 yards. Dartmouth will need similar balance against a Yale defense that has shown it can be tested through the air.

Yale enters at 2-1 and is coming off a 41-24 win over Merrimack. Quarterback Dante Reno completed 22 of 39 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns and added five carries for 39 yards. Hugo Djeumeni Kemeni ran 30 times for 132 yards, caught two passes for nine yards and scored one touchdown. Cuttler Adams had three carries for four yards and one catch for 15 yards.

Reno has produced two strong performances this season. In Yale’s 38-28 win at Holy Cross, he completed 30 of 43 passes for 454 yards and five touchdowns. The Bulldogs also dropped a 38-25 decision at Cornell. Yale’s offense has leaned on Reno’s arm and a rushing attack that found room against Merrimack.

The matchup at Yale Bowl could hinge on Dartmouth’s ability to sustain drives and limit Reno’s chances. The Big Green have shown they can move the ball with Saunier, Craddock and Roper, but they have also been in close games throughout the early schedule. Yale has scored at a high rate in two wins and will try to use its home setting to keep momentum.

Dartmouth’s defense will need to account for Reno and Djeumeni Kemeni, while Yale’s defense must contain Saunier on passing and running plays. Both teams are in the NCAA Football Championship Division, and the game offers an important chance for each to improve its record before the next stretch of the schedule.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Yale 37, Dartmouth 28.